TV writer and producer David Slack, known for Teen Titans and Jackie Chan Adventures, responded to a fan’s tweet about fictional characters bring in the friend zone with complete disapproval and disagreement.
https://twitter.com/YahBoyJiraiya/status/798582578324340736
It is moments like these that remind us all that cartoons are more than entertainment, they are mediums for discussion important cultural ideas. And on a side note, didn’t Ron Stoppable end up with Kim Possible at the end of the series?
Good ole Urban Dictionary defines The Friendzone as “This is a metaphorical hell for men. It is typically initiated by a guy asking out a girl and her saying “Oh, I only see you as a friend.”. One common example of this is girls will reject a nice guy, and date douche-bags, all while complaining to the nice guy and saying things like “Why can’t all guys be like you?”. Again, this is only a stereotype.”
Now what a lot of people find issue with in regards to the mythical friend zone is that it bases a woman’s worth completely around what she can offer a man, instead of who she is as a person. And that is why David Slack stepped in and shared “I hope you someday learn what Beast Boy already knew: that women are
And that is why David Slack stepped in and shared “I hope you someday learn what Beast Boy already knew: that women are actually people… They’re not games to be won. They have their own minds & hearts, & they don’t owe you a relationship just because you’re attracted to them.”
They're not games to be won. They have their own minds & hearts, & they don't owe you a relationship just because you're attracted to them.
— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) July 3, 2017
Another user on Twitter chimed in to insist the existence of the friend zone isn’t “abhorrent misogyny,” and David Slack further explained how life works.
“The statement “she put me in the friend zone” implies it’s a bad place to be & you don’t belong there. This implication rests on the assumption that you have the right to be in the “romantic zone” regardless of how the woman feels. And that disregard for the wants, needs, basic humanity of a woman you claim to like… is misogyny. Hope that clears things up.”
It's neither strange nor nonsensical. The statement "she put me in the friend zone" implies it's a bad place to be & you don't belong there.
— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) July 4, 2017
And that disregard for the wants, needs, & basic humanity of a woman you claim to like… is misogyny. Hope that clears things up.
— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) July 4, 2017
Hopefully, everyone that has grown up watching the amazing Teen Titans series has already learned this lesson. If not, I heard it is still available on Netflix.
